Sporting player numbers close to 10 million a month, Overwatch is still an impressively active game. Coming up on its 5-year anniversary in May, Overwatch has remained one of the higher-ranked competitive team games in the industry, and plenty of fans are still committed to Blizzard's competitive objective-based shooter.
The game's longevity is especially impressive considering the infrequent updates it has received over time. Getting the Heroes of The Storm treatment, to date Overwatch has seen the addition of 11 heroes. Compare that to an industry titan like League of Legends that has been known to add 3-4 heroes every year and the lack of support from Blizzard is striking.
In spite of this, Overwatch has survived due to its high-level competitive scene and its dedicated fanbase. With fans dedicated enough to get an Overwatch tattoo of baby Winston, it is easy to see how the game has lasted so long with its high numbers. Recently, Reddit user yeeojj, who is most likely a huge fan of DLC hero Ashe, questioned why Ashe has not received a highlight intro based on the classic Akira bike slide.
For those who are not aficionados of classic manga, Akira is a complicated series that at first is focused on a biker gang led by main character Kaneda. However, the story continues to shift as more plot elements are revealed, eventually turning into a post-apocalyptic science-fiction thriller about certain children ascending to near-godhood using psychic powers given by the government. This is a mere surface-level description of the manga, however, and to understand it fully one may need to give it a read. All that Overwatch fans need to know is that in the Akira movie, Kaneda performs an incredibly impressive bike slide that has become a long-lasting meme and trend in animation.
Much like the Overwatch concept fan art for Echo changes, yeeojj posted fanart and a screenshot of Kaneda performing the aforementioned slide. Yeeojj also said it would be cool to see a highlight intro for Ashe or Cassidy based on the classic anime scene. Considering Cassidy owns a motorcycle and in-game dialogue between Ashe and Cassidy reveals Cassidy lost the keys to it, it would make sense for either hero to receive a highlight intro featuring the vehicle. Add in the classic Akira bike slide animation and Blizzard would have an incredible new highlight intro for both of the characters.
Though Blizzard may have mostly set their sights on Overwatch 2, they have continued to put out updates and new cosmetics for existing characters, showing some support for the current game like a new Overwatch dusk Reaper skin. While the chance is small, perhaps something similar to yeeojj's concept will be added to Overwatch or Overwatch 2 at some point.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: Reddit